'Yuvarathnaa' review: When message meets entertainment

Director: Santhosh Ananddram

Cast: Puneeth Rajkumar, Prakash Raj, Dhananjay, Sayyeshaa

Rating: 3/5

With a smart director, plot is always beside the point.

Santhosh Ananddram is gutsy. He has no qualms in admitting that he uses the commercial cinema space for conveying social messages. Despite this, if he gets the tag of a ‘hat-trick director’ post ‘Yuvarathnaa’, it’s because he shows us how formula can be great fun too.

He is clever. Look keenly and you will know there is not much difference between ‘Raajakumara’ (2017) – his previous outing with Puneeth Rajkumar – and this film. In fact, he showed his first glimpse of sensitive handling of the parent-child relationship in ‘Mr and Mrs Ramachari’ (2014).

Without saying much, Achyuth and Yash convincingly portrayed the complex nature of the father-son bond. That’s what solid writing can do. But post that, Santhosh got into the ‘socially-conscious’ zone. ‘Raajakumara’ was a complete exploration of his pet theme.

‘Yuvarathnaa’ might hit out at privatisation of education. But the film’s best portion is the conflict between parents and children. Unlike other directors who are obsessed with attracting the youth, Santhosh’s films speak to everyone.

He is a master at fleshing out the middle-class ethos. A lazy writer can turn the premise into trifling melodrama.

More importantly, he makes heroes out of characters hardly represented in films. A security guard, auto driver, tailor, chef, bellman and many more can find their stories in ‘Yuvarathnaa’.

Thirdly, he has conquered the curse of the second-half. Most directors fail to understand that it’s better to end on a high than begin strongly and lose the track. Post interval, Puneeth is tasked to reform the drug-hit university and put the students’ focus back on their dreams. The terrific series of set-pieces is superbly entertaining.

How Puneeth manages his job is a great example of fusing gimmicks with inventive writing. Of course, we don’t watch commercial entertainers to point out the improbable.

The film’s first-half is a mixed bag. In ‘Raajakumara’, Santhosh put Puneeth in an unchartered territory. His ‘Power Star’ image was tamed to suit the story’s demand. Perhaps that’s why ‘Yuvarathnaa’ is an unapologetic and sporadically entertaining star-vehicle early on.

The narration is the major drawback. There is a difference between a breezy screenplay and a packed one. Here, Santhosh throws at us a clutch of frames filled with fights, villains, and terrific one-liners. Amid this, the film’s worthwhile subject takes a back seat.

I sat up in excitement when a young Puneeth came on screen. The film wants to say there is a reason behind the dangerous temperament of the protagonist. How I wish Santhosh had taken that direction and fleshed out the character better. When you are not treating a love story, why waste the narrative space on underwhelming duets?

There is a definite stamp of a star in Puneeth’s performance. He breaks into his signature moves and shows us new steps in a couple of songs. Santhosh showcases him brilliantly as a tough nut to crack. Puneeth cheerfully performs the ‘mass’ scenes with real sense of style.

Viewers with world cinema-acumen might not agree with the film’s manipulative melodrama. But in the commercial cinema milieu, it’s all about knowing your audience. One of them pointed out on Twitter that the film reminded him of his college days. Another praised the presence of only Kannada artistes (barring Sayyeshaa) in one film. Heck, in the theatre I watched, people gave a standing ovation for the film!

PS: Dhananjay is too good an actor to be just reduced to hero’s punching bag. His terrific presence, acting range and stunning voice need a full blown film with him at the centre.